Today’s Post by Joe Farace
Daihatsu has been in the news lately and not in the most flattering way. Rather than dwell on all the negativity, I prefer to look at some of the fun cars they produced, especially the Copen.—Joe Farace
Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd., typically just called Daihatsu, is a Japanese automobile manufacturer and is one of the oldest surviving Japanese internal combustion engine manufacturers. The company’s headquarters are located in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture. Since August 2016, the company has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Toyota Motor Corporation. As of 2021, Daihatsu sales account for 4% of the Toyota Group’s vehicle sales’ total.
Daihatsu’s were marketed in the United States from 1988 until 1992 but were hampered by the 1990s recession, and that their products had very little impact because, according to Wikipedia, “as the company’s compact and fuel economic cars did not align with the perceived needs of American customers.:
Historically, Daihatsu was well known for building three-wheeled vehicles and off-road vehicles, while currently the company offers a range of kei car models, along with kei trucks, kei vans and other small cars in Japan. The company also produces entry-level compact cars in Japan, Indonesia, and Malaysia (as the Perodua), where the company has significant research and development resources, manufacturing facilities and sales operation that are also supplied to emerging markets under the Toyota brand.
How I Photographed this Car: I photographed this Daihatsu Copen and beautiful booth model at the 2003 Tokyo Motor Show, one year after the car was officially introduced to the public. The 2002 model should be eligible for importation to the USA in 2027. (Canada has a more leisurely 15-year rule.) The camera used was the original Canon EOS Digital Rebel aka KISS in Japan with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. Exposure was 1/125 sec at f/9 and ISO 400 and the built-in flash was fired to provide some light on the model’s face.
The Daihatsu Copen is a two-door convertible kei car that debuted at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show, as the Daihatsu Copen concept. A second generation model debuted as the at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. The Copen was originally designed with a 660 cc turbocharged engine in order to meet Japanese kei car regulations. Since this engine did not meet environmental emissions standards in several other countries, the Copen was fitted with a 1.3 L non-turbo engine in these markets in 2007. In 2012 Daihatsu announced that the production for the Copen would cease in August 2012 with the final “10th Anniversary Edition” model.
The Copen’s styling seems inspired by the Nissan Figaro but mostly, I think, by the first generation Audi TT Roadster, which has key elements found in the Copen. The leading characteristic of this model was the active top, a motorized hide-away hard roof. However, between 2002 and 2007 there existed a variation with a detachable top. This version was about 30 kg. lighter than the regular model,